discord implies an intrinsic or essential lack of harmony producing quarreling, factiousness, or antagonism.
a political party long racked by discord
strife emphasizes a struggle for superiority rather than the incongruity or incompatibility of the persons or things involved.
during his brief reign the empire was never free of civil strife
conflict usually stresses the action of forces in opposition but in static applications implies an irreconcilability as of duties or desires.
the conflict of freedom and responsibility
contention applies to strife or competition that shows itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy.
several points of contention about the new zoning law
dissension implies strife or discord and stresses a division into factions.
religious dissension threatened to split the colony
variance implies a clash between persons or things owing to a difference in nature, opinion, or interest.
cultural variances that work against a national identity
Example Sentences
NounIn great wars—the American Civil War, the First and Second World Wars—the largest casualties are suffered just before the conflicts end. Steve Forbes, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2009At a moment when the country was still in the throes of the conflict over Vietnam, it was refreshing to see the best of America. Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, 2006… for work-family conflicts to disappear, two rock-ribbed institutions must change: the whole concept of children's care, and the way the workplace works. Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Family Politics, 1983The basic conflict in the novel is, of course, between the life on the river, where Huck finds innocence, brotherhood with man, and communion with nature, and life ashore, where, stage by stage, he discovers the corruption of society … Robert Penn Warren, Democracy and Poetry, (1975) 1976 a conflict between two gangs recent violent conflict in the region Everyone in my family always tries to avoid conflict. There was inevitable conflict over what to name the group. They're having serious conflicts over the budget. I don't see any conflicts between the theories. You'll need to resolve the conflict between your parents' plans for you and your own ambitions. VerbMr. van Wolferen says the U.S. must do more: It has to openly explain to Japan that it wants a managed-trade deal in order to end the bickering between the two nations, a move that would conflict with America's free-trade rhetoric. David P. Hamilton, Wall Street Journal, 8 June 1995The expectations about motherhood as full-time job that this situation created conflicted with the philosophy of the women's movement of the l960's. Anita Shreve, New York Times Magazine, 2l Nov. 1982Lily smiled faintly at the injunction to take her tea strong. It was the temptation she was always struggling to resist. Her craving for the keen stimulant was forever conflicting with that other craving for sleep … Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, 1905 Reports conflicted on how many people were involved. his statement conflicts with the facts, as given in the police report See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Thompson’s knack for improving good material and saving weak bits should make for smooth sailing, as will his promise to avoid conflict. Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 11 Sep. 2022 Reality sets in when the consequences of the conflict derails progress and upends their career trajectories. Pringl Miller, STAT, 11 Sep. 2022 Both sides have suffered heavy losses in Europe's largest conflict since World War II.BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2022 In ending the Afghanistan war, the Democratic president followed through on a campaign pledge to bring home U.S. troops from the country’s longest conflict. Colleen Long And Aamer Madhani, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Sep. 2022 Madoff added that many traditional estate planning tools—like QTIP Trusts in which the spouse is given a lifetime interest and the children are given the remainder interest after the death of the spouse—can exacerbate the opportunities for conflict. Michael Mccann, Variety, 10 Sep. 2022 The Brexit vote has kept Britain divided at home while generating lasting conflict with the E.U. Dan Balz, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022 Cameron’s camera showed us the fight from the view of the little ones, implying family conflict, and its affects across generations, will be a theme. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2022 Under this new plan, the board spokesman acknowledged, new operational employees will need to be hired at some point, likely a challenging task given weeks of high-profile conflict. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2022
Verb
The schools argue compliance would conflict with their religious tenets, the Los Angeles Times reported.The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 Moreover, if not considered holistically, ESG strategies could conflict with other operational goals. Naveen Bhateja, Forbes, 12 Aug. 2022 Or a decision in line with our values of honesty and fairness may conflict with our value of protecting someone. Lynn Bufka, Scientific American, 8 Aug. 2022 For example, state environmental policies may conflict with ones issued at the national level and lead to confusion among local officials. Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 28 July 2022 Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler is taking aim at crypto exchanges for the sprawl of their businesses, many parts of which can conflict with the others. Declan Harty, Fortune, 12 May 2022 However, creating new fossil fuel infrastructure would conflict with efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow climate change. Michael E. Webber, The Conversation, 29 Apr. 2022 Those two rights – the individual and the collective – often conflict, as my research on the high-profile dispute over women’s access to the Hindu temple at Sabarimala shows. Deepa Das Acevedo, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2022 The bill’s somewhat hand-wavy, dismissive provision saying it shouldn’t be construed to conflict with the First Amendment doesn’t actually prevent it from doing so. Hayley Tsukayama, Scientific American, 3 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English conflicte, conflyte "battle, struggle, assault," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French conflykte, conflict, borrowed from Latin conflīctus "striking together, clash," from conflīgere "to strike together, bring into collision, do battle, contend" (from con-con- + flīgere "to strike, dash down") + -tus, suffix of action nouns — more at profligate entry 1
Verb
Middle English conflicten "to engage in battle, fight," borrowed from Latin conflīctus, past participle of conflīgere "to strike together, bring into collision, do battle, contend" — more at conflict entry 1